MASSENA, New York (WWNY) – At Massena’s First United Methodist Church on Wednesday, volunteers were preparing for the biggest community dinner of the year.
Pies were sliced, biscuits were baked, and the finishing touches were put on the 900 pounds of turkey that would soon be served up.
It’s a dinner donation to the community and, with inflation the way it is, the pastor thanks the community for helping to make this happen.
“We are blessed to also have people who offer their money to help pay for turkeys. Or we have people who just bring in turkeys and provide us gifts of money to pay for all the extras because we’re giving a full-course meal. They’re getting turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, cranberries, and we have people who are willing to donate not just their time but their finances to help others,” said Pastor Cori Louden.
Since Saturday, the church has prepared more than 600 meals to be handed out Wednesday to residents who had called ahead.
An additional 100 meals were made for people who walked through the door Wednesday.
Kathy Perry is the coordinator of the community meal program. She says while it’s one of the busiest days, it’s also one of the best days for her.
“People are so grateful to have food and it’s given us an opportunity to get to know our community,” she said.
With 45 turkeys and 500 pounds of potatoes, squash, and stuffing, this Thanksgiving meal is given to those in need to ensure a community didn’t go without.
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